Daily Archives: October 3, 2016

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Entirely redesigned City store on Avenue de Malakoff reopens

Entirely redesigned City store on Avenue de Malakoff reopens
Entirely redesigned City store on Avenue de Malakoff reopens

 

Paris, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — The City store on Avenue de Malakoff (Paris, 16th arrondissement) reopened its doors on 31 August. This urban, friendly store, firmly rooted in its local environment, has been entirely redesigned, offering consumers practical and digital services.

A new updated and welcoming visual identity
The store’s facade is completely transparent, with large windows and very airy spaces, delivering a brighter, pleasanter shopping experience for customers. It features distinctly modern and urban loft-style décor and original new signage which is on-trend and designed to be conversational in tone: “…Great to see you again” is the welcome message, and “…See you tomorrow” bids customers farewell. With its new LED lighting and designer light fittings, City Paris Malakoff illustrates Carrefour’s desire to make its convenience stores spaces for living at the heart of their host towns and cities…

Innovative and digital services to make local residents’ lives easier
City Paris Malakoff offers customers a range of new services: all types of postal services except banking (sending and collecting parcels, purchasing stamps, posting registered letters), payment systems designed to reduce time spent at the checkout, with friendly checkout desks oriented towards the customer and a cash management system which delivers change automatically. Finally, the store features small, specially designed trolleys, making it easier for customers to shop.

The store has also been redesigned to serve as a meeting and discussion place to help local residents come together in a communal bar area, a space where patrons can come and have lunch on the premises (microwaves, etc.), chat and even exchange things like books, thanks to a shared library. Local residents can also sign up to the social network, Mon P’ti Voisinage, which makes a number of interactive services available.

In addition, the store offers several digital services, as part of Carrefour’s multichannel strategy; a partnership with start-up company Quatre épingles offers customers a range of concierge services including dry cleaning, alterations and shoe repairs. Through the Grandsvinsprivés.com website, customers have access to a selection of quality wines as well as advice, and can order online and pick up in store using the Click & Collect service.

A range of everyday products with an urban focus
At the time of its reopening, City Paris Malakoff stocked nearly 6,800 listed products, offering everyday items, including a wide selection of snack products and an extensive range of breads and pastries. The store also features some original new areas such as a convivialité section where customers can find all of the ingredients they need to make successful cocktails at home and associated recipe ideas, a display unit dedicated to pre-chopped fruit and vegetables, an orange juicing machine and a rotisserie area. A wine cellar features exclusive products, chilled storage for all bottles of rosé, white wine and champagne, and organic wines.
There is also a focus on organic products and dietary products with a fully renovated department offering a huge selection of Carrefour BIO  and major national brand products. A wide range of Reflets de France locally produced products is also available from a dedicated display unit and throughout the store.

CITY PARIS MALAKOFF STORE: KEY INFO
Address: 142 avenue de Malakoff, 75016 PARIS
Area: 412 m²
Staff: 25
Hours: 7 am to 11 pm, Monday to Saturday; open from 8.30 am on Sundays
Services: postal services, communal bar area, concierge services, click & collect (wine)

For all request about the Carrefour Group (sales, financial results, governance, international,…), please contact the Carrefour Group media relations office:

. By phone:

Switchboard: +33 (0)1 41 04 26 00

For journalists: +33 (0)1 41 04 26 17

. By e-mail: presse_groupe@carrefour.com

Source: Carrefour

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Amazon Web Services announces availability of P2 instances for Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud

SEATTLE, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company (NASDAQ:AMZN), today (Sep. 30, 2016) announced the availability of P2 instances, a new GPU instance type for Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) designed for compute-intensive applications that require massive parallel floating point performance, including artificial intelligence, computational fluid dynamics, computational finance, seismic analysis, molecular modeling, genomics, and rendering. With up to 16 NVIDIA Tesla K80 GPUs, P2 instances are the most powerful GPU instances available in the cloud. To get started with P2 instances, visit http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/p2/.

P2 instances allow customers to build and deploy compute-intensive applications using the CUDA parallel computing platform or the OpenCL framework without up-front capital investments. To offer the best performance for these high performance computing applications, the largest P2 instance offers 16 GPUs with a combined 192 Gigabytes (GB) of video memory, 40,000 parallel processing cores, 70 teraflops of single precision floating point performance, over 23 teraflops of double precision floating point performance, and GPUDirect technology for higher bandwidth and lower latency peer-to-peer communication between GPUs. P2 instances also feature up to 732 GB of host memory, up to 64 vCPUs using custom Intel Xeon E5-2686 v4 (Broadwell) processors, dedicated network capacity for I/O operation, and enhanced networking through the Amazon EC2 Elastic Network Adaptor.

“Two years ago, we launched G2 instances to support customers running graphics and compute-intensive applications,” said Matt Garman, Vice President, Amazon EC2. “Today, as customers embrace heavier GPU compute workloads such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and big data processing, they need even higher GPU performance than what was previously available. P2 instances offer seven times the computational capacity for single precision floating point calculations and 60 times more for double precision floating point calculations than the largest G2 instance, providing the best performance for compute-intensive workloads such as financial simulations, energy exploration and scientific computing.”

Clarifai provides image and video recognition APIs for some of the world’s most innovative companies. “Deep learning plays a central role in our image and video classification APIs, and high performance GPUs in the AWS Cloud can vastly accelerate inference for our algorithms,” said Matthew Zeiler, CEO, Clarifai. “Amazon EC2 P2 instances will give us the agility to scale up to serving numerous models in parallel, delivering results faster than previously possible without massive capital expenditures, un-utilized hardware, and large data transfers. We will be able to leverage the massive aggregate single precision floating point processing capability of Amazon EC2 P2 instances to reduce inference times for our customers, and substantially reduce the cost of processing.”

Altair Engineering empowers innovation and decision-making through technology that optimizes the analysis, management, and visualization of business and engineering information. “Simulation technology is at the core of Altair’s business and with our GPU solver partner FluiDyna GmbH, we’ve made significant investments in domain decomposition to optimize our computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, nanoFluidX, for multi-GPU scaling for increased performance and reduced cost,” said Stephen Cosgrove, Director of CFD, Altair. “We’re able to leverage the massive amount of aggregate GPU memory and double precision floating point performance in Amazon EC2 P2 instances to fit more simulations into a single node, significantly reduce customer simulation times, and reduce the cost of running large simulations.”

MathWorks, the leading developer of mathematical computing software, helps millions of engineers, scientists, researchers, and students around the world analyze and design systems and products that are transforming the world. “MATLAB users moving their analytics and simulation workloads onto the AWS Cloud require their analyses to be processed quickly,” said Silvina Grad-Freilich, Senior Product Manager, MathWorks. “The massive parallel floating point performance of Amazon EC2 P2 instances, combined with up to 64 vCPUs and 732 GB host memory, will enable customers to realize results faster and process larger datasets than was previously possible.”

MapD is a GPU database for interactive SQL querying and visualization of multi-billion record datasets. “As the leader in GPU-powered databases and visual analytics applications, we are deeply invested in the emergence of large, cloud-based GPU instances and P2 is the most powerful we have seen,” said Todd Mostak, CEO and Founder, MapD. “Our performance on Amazon EC2 P2 instances is exceptional. On a dollar-to-dollar basis across a set of standard SQL benchmarks, MapD is 78 times faster on Amazon EC2 P2 instances than CPU-based solutions. Furthermore, these speedups were seen over multi-billion row datasets, speaking directly to our ability to deliver performance at scale with these instances. With this launch, our customers can now query and visualize billions of rows of data within milliseconds while enjoying the flexibility, scalability and reliability they have come to expect from AWS.”

Sonus delivers intelligent and secure, cloud optimized solutions for real time communications used by the world’s leading service providers and enterprises. “Real time communications are rapidly evolving, and they require transcoding between formats for use on multiple devices,” said Mykola Konrad, Vice President, Product Management and Marketing, Sonus. “GPUs are becoming more of a disruptor for transcoding services and they offer a cost effective solution for scaling our Session Border Controller application in the cloud. Because of our collaboration with AWS, Sonus has developed the industry’s first GPU optimized session border controller by leveraging the GPU parallel computing power and Enhanced Networking of Amazon EC2 P2 instances, which decreases network costs for our customers.”

Customers can launch P2 instances using the AWS Management Console, AWS Command Line Interface (CLI), AWS SDKs, and third-party libraries. P2 instances are available in three instance sizes: p2.16xlarge with 16 GPUs, p2.8xlarge with 8 GPUs, and p2.xlarge with 1 GPU. P2 instances are available in the US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), and EU (Ireland) Regions.

Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) from AWS, NVIDIA, and other sellers are available in the AWS Marketplace to help customers get started within minutes. The AWS Deep Learning AMI comes preinstalled with MXNet and Caffe deep learning frameworks to enable customers to reduce model training time from weeks to hours. It also lets them experiment with artificial intelligence without making large upfront capital expenditures. The AMI from NVIDIA includes pre-installed drivers and the CUDA toolkit. It’s designed for developers working on a range of GPU-intensive workloads.

About Amazon Web Services

For 10 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 70 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, analytics, mobile, Internet of Things (IoT) and enterprise applications from 35 Availability Zones (AZs) across 13 geographic regions in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and India. AWS services are trusted by more than a million active customers around the world — including the fastest growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies — to power their infrastructure, make them more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit http://aws.amazon.com.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

Media Hotline:

206-266-7180
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr

Source: Amazon Web Services, Inc.

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Alexa Prize: Amazon announces university competition dedicated to accelerating conversational artificial intelligence

SEATTLE, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (-Sep. 29, 2016), Amazon announced the Alexa Prize, an annual university competition dedicated to accelerating the field of conversational artificial intelligence (AI). The goal of the inaugural competition is to build a “socialbot” on Alexa that will converse with people about popular topics and news events. The team with the highest-performing socialbot will win a $500,000 prize. Additionally, a prize of $1 million will be awarded to the winning team’s university if their socialbot achieves the grand challenge of conversing coherently and engagingly with humans for 20 minutes.

Teams of university students can submit applications now and the contest will conclude at AWS re:invent in November 2017, where the winners will be announced. Up to ten teams will be sponsored by Amazon and receive a $100,000 stipend, Alexa-enabled devices, free AWS services, and support from the Alexa team.

Students will build their socialbots using the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK), which tens of thousands of developers are already using to build new skills on Alexa. Participants will have access to conversational topic categories and digital content from multiple sources, including The Washington Post, which has agreed to make its complete news feed and comments available to the students for non-commercial use. As part of the research and judging process, millions of Alexa customers will have the opportunity to converse with the socialbots on popular topics by saying, “Alexa, let’s chat about (a topic, for example, baseball playoffs, celebrity gossip, scientific breakthroughs, etc.).” Following the conversation, Alexa users will give feedback on the experience to provide valuable input to the students for improving their socialbots. The feedback from Alexa users will also be used to help select the best socialbots to advance to the final, live judging phase.

This challenge will advance several areas of conversational AI including knowledge acquisition, natural language understanding, natural language generation, context modeling, commonsense reasoning, and dialog planning. Through the innovative work of students, Alexa customers will have novel, engaging conversations.

“The Alexa Prize challenges students to build socialbots that can acquire knowledge and opinions from the web, and express them in context just as a human would in everyday conversations,” said Rohit Prasad, Vice President and Head Scientist, Amazon Alexa. “A socialbot that can converse coherently for 20 minutes is unprecedented and at least five times more advanced than state-of-the-art conversational AI. This challenge and the immediate feedback students will receive on their best ideas from millions of engaged Alexa customers will make what we previously thought impossible, possible.”

Here’s what experts are saying about the Alexa Prize:

  • “Human capacity for language is an instinct, but it’s something that must be taught to machines,” said Steven Pinker, Scientist, Psychologist, Linguist, and Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. “Everyday conversations that require context and understanding of the world come naturally to humans. Machines don’t have those advantages, which makes the Alexa Prize a particularly complex challenge for participants to solve.”
  • “People are social beings. We naturally want to perceive bots as social beings. As we create bots capable of engaging in helpful social interactions, we will unlock their potential to improve our learning, healing, wellness, and quality of life,” said Maja Mataric, Chaired Professor and Founding Director of the USC Robotics and Autonomous Systems Center. “The Alexa Prize can help to get us closer to that goal by supporting the development of technologies for social conversation. The Alexa Prize can be a key enabler of today’s students and researchers undertaking this major technical challenge.”
  • “People talk with each other regularly by exchanging stories about everyday events,” said Roger Schank, Professor Emeritus from Yale, Northwestern, and Stanford. “Something you say reminds me of something that I now want to say. Having the context to discuss everyday topics comes naturally to humans, but must be learned by conversational AI. I am excited about the Alexa Prize and the scientific advances that will emerge from the contest.”
  • “Conversing for 20 minutes is difficult for most humans and an extraordinarily ambitious challenge for bots that are learning to converse like us,” said Dan Jurafsky, Professor and Chair of Linguistics and Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University. “The Alexa Prize will encourage student researchers to come up with great ideas for leveraging real-world conversational AI technologies like Alexa to create software that can converse as engagingly as humans. The immediate feedback from Alexa users will be a huge boost in helping students improve their algorithms.”

For submission guidelines and Official Rules for the Alexa Prize please visit https://developer.amazon.com/alexaprize.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

Media Hotline:

206-266-7180
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr

Source: Amazon.com, Inc.

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The Bon-Ton Stores to redeem its outstanding Senior Secured Notes due 2017

YORK, Pa, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:BONT) announced today (Sept. 30, 2016) that it will redeem the entirety of its outstanding 10 5/8% Second Lien Senior Secured Notes due 2017 (the “Notes”). The aggregate principal amount outstanding of the Notes is approximately $57 million. The Notes will be redeemed on November 29, 2016, at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes of approximately $21.84 per $1,000 of principal amount.

Nancy A. Walsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, commented, “I am pleased that the company is repaying the 2017 Senior Notes well in advance of the July 2017 maturity date. The redemption meets our objective of reducing short-term debt and improving our capital structure.”

A notice of redemption setting forth the redemption procedures is being provided to holders of the Notes through Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., the Trustee under the Indenture governing the Notes. Copies of the notice of redemption and additional information relating to the procedures for redemption may be obtained from Wells Fargo, Corporate Trust Operations, MAC N9300-070, 600 South Fourth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55402, telephone: 800-344-5128.

About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 267 stores, which includes nine furniture galleries and five clearance centers, in 26 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers nameplates. The stores offer a broad assortment of national and private brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings. For further information, please visit the investor relations section of the Company’s website at http://investors.bonton.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information included in this press release contains statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, which may be identified by words such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “plan,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend” or other similar expressions and include the Company’s fiscal 2016 guidance, involve important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to: risks related to retail businesses generally; a significant and prolonged deterioration of general economic conditions which could negatively impact the Company in a number of ways, including the potential write-down of the current valuation of intangible assets and deferred taxes; risks related to the Company’s proprietary credit card program; potential increases in pension obligations; consumer spending patterns, debt levels, and the availability and cost of consumer credit; additional competition from existing and new competitors or changes in the competitive environment; inflation; deflation; changes in the costs of fuel and other energy and transportation costs; weather conditions that could negatively impact sales; uncertainties associated with expanding or remodeling existing stores; the ability to attract and retain qualified management; the dependence upon relationships with vendors and their factors; a data security breach or system failure; the ability to reduce or control SG&A expenses, including initiatives to reduce expenses and improve efficiency; operational disruptions; unsuccessful marketing initiatives; the ability to expand our capacity and improve efficiency through our new eCommerce fulfillment center; changes in, or the failure to successfully implement, our key strategies, including initiatives to improve our merchandising, marketing and operations; adverse outcomes in litigation; the incurrence of unplanned capital expenditures; the ability to obtain financing for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes; the impact of regulatory requirements including the Health Care Reform Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; the inability or limitations on the Company’s ability to favorably adjust the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets; and the financial condition of mall operators. Additional factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ from those contained in these forward-looking statements are discussed in greater detail under Item 1A of the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT:
Investor Relations
Wendy Wilson
414-347-5153
Wendy.Wilson@bonton.com

Source: The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc./globenewswire

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Stein Mart announces the appointment of D. Hunt Hawkins as Interim CEO

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Stein Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMRT) (the “Company”) today (Sept. 29, 2016) announced that Dawn Robertson has tendered her resignation as Chief Executive Officer and as a director, and the Company’s Board of Directors accepted that resignation effective as of September 27, 2016. Ms. Robertson also performed the duties of the chief merchandising officer. D. Hunt Hawkins, Stein Mart’s President and Chief Operating Officer, has been named Interim CEO and the Company will initiate a search for a new chief merchandising officer.

“Some of the sales initiatives that have been developed under Dawn’s leadership are important for our future and we will continue to cultivate them to drive sales in this challenging retail environment,” said Jay Stein, Chairman of the Board. “Hunt has been a valued leader at Stein Mart for over 20 years. The Board and I are confident in his ability to guide our associates and to continue implementing our strong sales strategies.”

Mr. Hawkins, 57, started his career with Stein Mart as Senior Vice President, Human Resources and was promoted to Executive Vice President of Operations in 2006, to Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer in 2007, to Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer in 2011 and to President and Chief Operating Officer in 2014.

“I appreciate the confidence the Board has in me during this important time for the Company and look forward to serving in my new role,” said Hunt Hawkins. “One of my first priorities is to help our associates with their focus on the key objectives needed to have a successful fall selling season.”

Preview of Third Quarter Results
Comparable store sales for the third quarter (which ends October 29, 2016) have decreased approximately 4 percent through September 27 compared to the same period last year. Sales results have improved somewhat in September after a challenging start and several missteps in August.

“We believe that several of the new merchandising strategies that have been developed this year will positively impact our future sales. However, implementation has been too rapid and has been challenging for our customers,” said Hunt Hawkins.  “It is important that we remain focused on meeting the needs of our existing customers as we drive change.”

With sales lower than anticipated, the third quarter gross profit rate could be approximately 150 basis points lower than the third quarter of 2015 due to higher markdowns and higher occupancy costs, mostly from our new stores, which do not leverage on softer sales. The third quarter will include an approximate $1.6 million charge in connection with Ms. Robertson’s departure.

For the full year, we continue to expect selling, general and administrative expenses to be approximately $360 million. Financial results for the third quarter will be reported prior to the opening of the U.S. financial markets on Thursday, November 17, 2016.

About Stein Mart
Stein Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMRT) is a national retailer offering designer and name-brand fashion, accessories and home decor at everyday discount prices. Stein Mart provides real value that customers will love every day both in stores and online. Stein Mart currently operates 283 stores across 31 states and has plans to expand over the next year. Stein Mart is adding new modern brands to its stores this year to offer discriminating shoppers even more of the fashion and savings they want. For more information, please visit www.steinmart.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 
Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this release may be forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that projected results expressed or implied will not be realized. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Stein Mart’s actual results in current and future periods to differ materially from forecasted or expected results. Those risks include, without limitation: consumer sensitivity to economic conditions, competition in the retail industry, changes in consumer preferences and fashion trends, ability to implement our strategic plans to sustain profitable growth, effectiveness of advertising and marketing, capital availability and debt levels, ability to negotiate acceptable lease terms with current and potential landlords, ability to successfully implement strategies to exit under-performing stores, extreme and/or unseasonable weather conditions, adequate sources of merchandise at acceptable prices, dependence on certain key personnel and ability to attract and retain qualified employees, impacts of seasonality, increases in the cost of compensation and employee benefits, disruption of the Company’s distribution process, dependence on imported merchandise, information technology failures, data security breaches, single supplier for shoe department, single provider for ecommerce website, acts of terrorism, ability to adapt to new regulatory compliance and disclosure obligations, material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and other risks and uncertainties described in the Company’s filings with the SEC.

Contact:
Linda Tasseff Director
Investor Relations
(904) 858-2639
ltasseff@steinmart.com

Source: Stein Mart, Inc./globenewswire

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Sainsbury’s announces the appointment of Simon Roberts as Retail & Operations Director

Sainsbury’s announces the appointment of Simon Roberts as Retail & Operations Director
Sainsbury’s announces the appointment of Simon Roberts as Retail & Operations Director

 

London, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sainsbury’s today (30 September 2016) announces the appointment of Simon Roberts as Retail & Operations Director. Simon will report to Chief Executive Mike Coupe and be a member of Sainsbury’s Operating Board.

Most recently Simon was Executive Vice President of Walgreens Boots Alliance and President of Boots in the UK & Ireland.  Prior to this Simon was Managing Director of Boots UK, where he was responsible for leading retail and pharmacy activities in over 2,500 stores across the UK & Ireland.

Simon joined Boots as Regional Director in 2003 from Marks & Spencer, where for 14 years he held roles in Marks & Spencer’s stores and operations. Simon will join Sainsbury’s by July 2017.

Mike Coupe, Chief Executive of J Sainsbury Plc, said: “I am delighted to welcome Simon to Sainsbury’s. Simon is a very strong leader who is passionate about customers and colleagues.  He has extensive stores experience, is customer-centric in everything he does and I am confident he will make a fantastic contribution to Sainsbury’s and the Operating Board.”

Simon Roberts said: “I am thrilled to be joining Sainsbury’s, a brand I have admired and respected for many years, and particularly at such an exciting time for the business following its acquisition of Home Retail Group. I am really looking forward to joining Mike and the team and working with the 165,000 colleagues across Sainsbury’s stores and operations to help customers live well for less.”

Press Enquiries please contact:
press_office@sainsburys.co.uk
020 7695 7295.

Source: Sainsbury

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Sainsbury’s introduces milk-free coconut-based alternatives to cheese

Sainsbury’s introduces milk-free coconut-based alternatives to cheese
Sainsbury’s introduces milk-free coconut-based alternatives to cheese

 

London, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Great news for vegans and those with milk allergies or intolerances, Sainsbury’s has answer to your foodie cravings – milk-free coconut-based alternatives to cheese – available across the UK from today (28th September) in the Deliciously Freefrom range.

There are seven delicious coconut-based cheese alternatives to choose from, including:

  • Cheddar-Style – available both as a block and grated
  • Wensleydale-Style with Cranberries
  • Greek-Style – a coconut-based alternative to Feta
  • Cheddar-Style with Caramelised Onion
  • Soft Cheese-Style  – available in both Original and Garlic & Herb

In addition to making the perfect milk-free cheese board, the cheese-alternatives have been developed to be enjoyed in the same way as regular cheese – from melted on toast and stirred into pasta, to sprinkled over salads and deliciously whipped into the perfect frosting.

Alexa Masterson, Sainsbury’s Product Developer for Deliciously Freefrom comments: “We’re really proud to launch the widest range of supermarket own brand cheese-alternatives to the UK, including a number of products that are first to market. These cheese-alternatives, alongside our broader Deliciously Freefrom offering, allow our shoppers to prepare meals and enjoy products that they may have previously missed out on.”

Sainsbury’s research recently found that the most longed-for dishes for shoppers with allergens and intolerances are: pizza (82%), cheese board (77%), cheesecake (75%) and lasagne (73%). The cheese-alternatives, alongside other new Freefrom products, have been launched to help customers with food allergies and intolerances recreate their favourite meals.

The cheese alternatives are part of a full relaunch of the new Deliciously Freefrom range at Sainsbury’s with a host of new and improved products. These include products from across the whole store – from the frozen, canned & packaged and chilled aisles to ready meal choices like wheat, gluten and milk-free beef lasagne, or chilled wheat and gluten free pizzas, making it more convenient for customers with food allergies or intolerances to complete their food shop in one place.

As of May this year, the new Deliciously Freefrom range also incorporates a new way of communicating allergens and introduces market-leading front of pack allergen communication, designed to provide key allergen information at a glance, as well as a greater choice of better-tasting products. The range now includes labelling for three further allergens of egg, nut and soya, in addition to the existing wheat, gluten and milk labels, meaning those with dietary requirements can have more clarity on what is available to them.

Press Enquiries please contact:
press_office@sainsburys.co.uk
020 7695 7295.

Source: Sainsbury

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Argos to hire over 10,000 seasonal workers for the busy holiday season

Argos to hire over 10,000 seasonal workers for the busy holiday season
Argos to hire over 10,000 seasonal workers for the busy holiday season

Milton Keynes, UK, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Leading digital high street retailer Argos is on the look-out for over 10,000 seasonal workers to help light up Christmas for the millions of customers who will shop with them this festive period.

Customer advisors and stock assistants are being sought to support over 840 Argos stores to meet customer demand for toys, home products, video games, technology, sports and other popular Christmas gifts.

The number includes Fast Track drivers who will need great customer service skills to support Argos’ store to customer door distribution service, which is highly popular with shoppers who appreciate the certainty of same-day delivery in convenient time slots.

Initial contracts for all vacancies are around three to four months, with the potential for some roles to become permanent at the end of the season, where vacancies exist. Recruits will be offered a minimum of 10 hours per week (minimum of six hours for weekend staff).

Roles are available at stores across the United Kingdom.

Steve Carson, Director of Retail and Customer Operations, at Argos said: “The Christmas period is naturally an extremely busy and exciting time of year for Argos and our ability to offer more than 60,000 products for the whole family is why millions of people shop with us over the festive season.

“Job creation is one of the most important contributions we make to the communities in which we serve and we are committed to maintaining the friendly, personal service we are known for, whether customers are shopping in-store or buying online for home delivery.

“The work is fast-paced, varied and rewarding with the potential to learn a whole set of new skills. Many in the past have gone on to develop their career with us and progress rather rapidly to run a team, department or even store, helping to drive sales and deliver great customer service.”

Argos serves around 120 million customer transactions throughout its store network every year, with 95 per cent of the population living less than 10 miles from an Argos store.

Vacancies are available nationwide:

Country:

England
8,436

Scotland
878

Wales
531

Northern Ireland
381

(Approximate number of vacancies)

New team members will receive competitive rates of pay and immediate benefits of 10 per cent staff discount at Argos from day one. The ‘My Benefits’ scheme gives all staff exclusive savings and local discounts both online and in a variety of other high street retailers.

Successful applicants can gain valuable and transferable skills via Argos’ Open Door training system. This enables them to work through retail training modules at work, on the move or from the comfort of their own home using their smartphone, tablet or PC.

Interested candidates can apply for all roles at www.argos.careers/xmas

Notes to Editors

About Argos

Argos is a leading UK digital retailer, offering around 60,000 products through www.argos.co.uk, its growing mobile channels, stores and over the telephone.

Argos continues to be the UK’s largest high street retailer online with around 120m customer transactions a year through its stores and over 975 million website and app visits in the 12 months to February 2016.  Customers can take advantage of Argos’ convenient Check & Reserve service available through its network of 842 stores and concessions across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

For more information or case studies, please contact:

Argos Press Office
0845 120 4365
email: media.relations@argos.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter at @argos_pr

Source: Argos

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The John Lewis Partnership announces that Andy Street to step down as Managing Director

London, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — The John Lewis Partnership today (30 September 2016) announces that Andy Street will step down as Managing Director, John Lewis on 28 October. After a 31 year career with the Partnership, including nine years as Managing Director, John Lewis, it was confirmed last night that Andy has been selected as the official Conservative Party candidate for the office of Mayor of the West Midlands.

The successor to the position of Managing Director will be announced in due course.

Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: ‘Andy has led John Lewis brilliantly and leaves the brand with great momentum for the future. I would like to thank him for his passionate contribution to the Partnership.’

Andy Street said: ‘It has been a privilege to lead John Lewis through a transformational period in the retail industry, and I am confident that we have built a business which will continue to thrive while being loyal to its principles.

‘The success of John Lewis is down to the hard work and dedication of thousands of Partners across the country, and I know that they will continue to serve our customers with distinction.’

Notes to editors

The John Lewis Partnership – operates 47 John Lewis shops across the UK, johnlewis.com, 350 Waitrose shops, waitrose.com and business to business contracts in the UK and abroad. The business has annual gross sales of over £11bn. It is the UK’s largest example of an employee-owned business where all 88,900 staff are Partners in the business.

Waitrose – winner of the Best Supermarket1 and Best Food Retailer2 awards- currently has 350 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 61 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations. It combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop – dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service.  Waitrose also exports its products to 58 countries worldwide and has eight shops which operate under licence in the Middle East. Waitrose’s omnichannel business includes the online grocery service Waitrose.com, as well as specialist online shops including waitrosecellar.com for wine and waitrosekitchen.com for cookware, utensils and kithchen gadgets.

¹ Which? Customer Survey
² Verdict Customer Satisfaction Awards

John Lewis – John Lewis operates 47 John Lewis shops across the UK (33 department stores, 12 John Lewis at home and shops at St Pancras International and Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as johnlewis.com. It is part of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK’s largest example of worker co-ownership and all 30,000 John Lewis staff are Partners in the business. John Lewis  ‘Best In-Store Experience 2016’, ‘Best Clothing Retailer 2016,’ ‘Best Electricals Retailer 2016,’ ‘Best Furniture Retailer 2016,’ ‘Best Homewares Retailer 2016’ and ‘Best Click & Collect Retailer 2016’1, typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores across fashion, home and technology. Johnlewis.com stocks over 280.000 products and is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK. John Lewis Insurance offers a range of comprehensive insurance products – home, car, wedding and event, travel and pet insurance and life cover – delivering the values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.

1Verdict Consumer Satisfaction Awards 2016

You can follow John Lewis on the following social media channels:
www.johnlewis.com/twitter
www.johnlewis.com/facebook
www.johnlewis.com/youtube.

General information

For further information please contact:

John Lewis press office

Gillian Taylor
Head of Communications, John Lewis
Email: gillian.e.taylor@johnlewis.co.uk
Mobile: 07979 157931
Telephone: 020 7592 5635

Sian Grieve
Senior Communications Manager, John Lewis
Email: sian.grieve@johnlewis.co.uk
Mobile: 07525 271812
Telephone:020 7592 6887

Katie Robson
Senior Communications Manager, John Lewis Partnership
Email: katie.robson@johnlewis.co.uk
Mobile: 07764 675608

Source: The John Lewis Partnership

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John Lewis opens its first ever branch in Essex, John Lewis Chelmsford

London, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — At 9.3 0 am this morning John Lewis Chelmsford opened its doors to customers, marking the opening of the retailer’s first ever branch in Essex. Part of Chelmsford’s new £150m Bond Street development, John Lewis Chelmsford includes 90,000 sq ft of selling space over three floors, stocking over 65,000 products.

John Lewis Chelmsford brings together some of the best services that John Lewis has to offer; from a Kuoni travel concession to its renowned Home Design Service and a new Bar:Cafe concept from Benugo, allowing customers to enjoy a glass of prosecco straight from a tap or Benugo’s signature coffee whilst they shop.

The shop has the largest beauty hall out of all of John Lewis’s small full-line department stores at 7,900 sq ft, with 14 premium beauty counters including M.A.C, Charlotte Tilbury and Nars. Chelmsford will also feature fashion brands including Ralph Lauren, Whistles, Finery and John Lewis’s new own-brand luxury womenswear label modern rarity.

John Lewis Chelmsford’s interior design plays homage to the city’s heritage as the birthplace of radio. Various references, including On Air signs and microphones, can be found on display throughout the shop.

Laura Rawstron, Branch Manager at John Lewis Chelmsford, said: ‘Today marks a very exciting time for John Lewis and we’re delighted to open the doors to our first shop in Essex. It’s one of our most modern shops to date and brings together the very best of John Lewis’ products and services. Our new team of Partners have worked incredibly hard to get us to this stage and I’m very proud of everyone involved. Together with the Bond Street development, this John Lewis shop will create a new retail and leisure offer that ensures Chelmsford has something for everyone.’

At a ceremony held this morning, Branch Manager Laura Rawstron was joined by John Lewis Partner Stephanie Shields to cut the opening ribbon. Stephanie had been selected following her outstanding performance over the month-long training programme.

The opening day concludes John Lewis’s journey to Chelmsford, with the shop first breaking ground in January 2015. The shop, which represents an investment of £18m by John Lewis, has also recruited 300 Partners (staff) coming from Chelmsford and the surrounding area.

Notes to editors
John Lewis – John Lewis operates 47 John Lewis shops across the UK (33 department stores, 12 John Lewis at home and shops at St Pancras International and Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as johnlewis.com. It is part of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK’s largest example of worker co-ownership and all 30,000 John Lewis staff are Partners in the business. John Lewis  ‘Best In-Store Experience 2016’, ‘Best Clothing Retailer 2016,’ ‘Best Electricals Retailer 2016,’ ‘Best Furniture Retailer 2016,’ ‘Best Homewares Retailer 2016’ and ‘Best Click & Collect Retailer 2016’1, typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores across fashion, home and technology. Johnlewis.com stocks over 280,000 products and is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK. John Lewis Insurance offers a range of comprehensive insurance products – home, car, wedding and event, travel and pet insurance and life cover – delivering the values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.

1Verdict Consumer Satisfaction Awards 2016

You can follow John Lewis on the following social media channels:
www.johnlewis.com/twitter
www.johnlewis.com/facebook
www.johnlewis.com/youtube.

General information:

For further information please contact:

Rob Joyce
Antidote Communications
Telephone: 07794 265 291
Email: johnlewis@antidotecommunications.com

Source: John Lewis

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DFS inaugurated its first store in Europe, T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS

DFS inaugurated its first store in Europe, T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS
DFS inaugurated its first store in Europe, T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS

 

Venice, Italy, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — DFS has arrived in Venice! On September 29 the world leader in luxury travel retail inaugurated T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS, its first store in Europe. Housed in a magnificent edifice in the historic heart of Venice, the space is a new prestige international destination for shopping, culture and lifestyle at the crossroads of East and West.

Los Angeles, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Siem Reap…and now Venice. DFS Group launched its first store in Europe in an iconic city and a favorite destination for international travelers. The world leader in luxury travel retail has opened the doors of T Fondaco dei Tedeschi in the heart of Venice on the Grand Canal.

DFS has created its emporium in an emblematic historic building. Built in the 13th century, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi is one of the largest buildings in Venice, spanning 7,000 square meters. It became a hub of commerce for merchants in the city, who traded spices, silk and other products between the Orient and Europe. To restore and revitalize the building, architect and urbanist Rem Koolhaas – who was in charge of the exterior renovation – and architect Jamie Fobert – who handled the interior design – have meticulously respected Venice’s unique heritage while integrating touches of modernity.

Connecting with the original vocation of the edifice, T Fondaco dei Tedeschi features an exceptional collection of luxury products from major brands. Discerning visitors to Venice will find an inspiring array of fashion and accessories, jewelry and watches, wines and spirits, fragrances and beauty products. In addition, the space proposes a carefully curated selection of locally handcrafted artisan products. To celebrate Italian art de vivre and cuisine, T Fondaco dei Tedeschi is also home to the restaurant AMO, developed by Italy’s well-known Alajmo family, whose son Massimiliano is the youngest chef in the world to have received three Michelin stars.

T Fondaco dei Tedeschi places strong emphasis on culture too, with an entire floor dedicated to exhibitions and events open to the public, creating a new cultural hub for Venetians and tourists alike. The first exhibition, an installation entitled “Under Water” by Italian artist Fabrizio Plessi, debuts with the opening of the store on October 1.

Contact:

LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton
22, avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris – France
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 13 22 22
Fax: +33 (0)1 44 13 22 23

Source: LVMH

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Open House: Lowe’s launches its first digital platform dedicated to taking people behind the brand

MOORESVILLE, N.C., 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — As a company driven to help people love where they live, Lowe’s plays a part in millions of people’s stories every day. To bring those stories to the communities we serve, today (September 27, 2016) Lowe’s launched Open House, an interactive newsroom and the company’s first digital platform dedicated to taking people behind the brand.

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7906452-lowes-new-digital-newsroom-open-house

“After difficulty finding steady employment, Lowe’s loader makes most of opportunity, with a little help from his best friend”>Newsroom.Lowes.com is your go-to source for news and information about Lowe’s. Through a mix of feature stories and rich multimedia content, Open House provides an inside look at the unique, innovative and inspirational ways Lowe’s serves customers and communities. “Our story is much bigger than the products and services we sell,” said Robert Niblock, Lowe’s chairman, president and CEO. “We’re a company of more than a quarter of a million employees who go to great lengths to help customers love the places they call home. These are the stories we are inspired by and we hope will inspire others.”

Visitors to Open House can view regularly refreshed content in four focus areas (Serving Communities, Inspiring People, Fresh Thinking and Inside Lowe’s). In each of these areas, the site showcases the stories of people who are doing remarkable things.

You’ll watch how a Lowe’s employee and his therapy dog found their new jobs a perfect fit, and see how Lowe’s is using autonomous robots, virtual reality and wearable technology to transform the customer experience. You’ll find out why a Lowe’s ad likely leaves you feeling nostalgic, and learn how Lowe’s and the Boys & Girls Clubs are helping provide safe havens for kids in all 50 states.

“We wanted to create a place where we could build a deeper connection to the customers and communities we serve,” said Colleen Penhall, Lowe’s vice president of corporate communications. “Whether people are looking to get a peek inside Lowe’s, a chance to see what’s next in retail or what’s literally happening around the corner in their community, we look forward to sharing those stories in meaningful and compelling ways.”

Stay on top of the latest Lowe’s news by subscribing to the biweekly Open House newsletter, and drop by Open House to share your stories. You also can follow @LowesMedia on Twitter to get real-time company updates.

Media outlets are invited to republish, with attribution, any stories, photos, videos and graphics that appear on Newsroom.Lowes.com.

About Lowe’s
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company serving more than 17 million customers a week in the United States,Canada and Mexico. With fiscal year 2015 sales of $59.1 billion, Lowe’s and its related businesses operate or service more than 2,355 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 285,000 employees. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

Contact:

Customer Inquiries
1-800-445-6937
CustCare@Lowes.com

SOURCE: Lowe’s Companies Inc.

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H&M, IndustriALL and IF Metall convert Global Framework Agreement into permanent collaboration

H&M, IndustriALL and IF Metall convert Global Framework Agreement into permanent collaboration
H&M, IndustriALL and IF Metall convert Global Framework Agreement into permanent collaboration

 

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — The signing parties all share the belief that collaboration and a well-functioning dialogue between the parties on the labour market is necessary for lasting improvements for the garment workers in all areas of working conditions, including fair living wages, but also for stable production markets, and in the end; a mature textile industry. The goal of the work is improved industrial relations where the freedom of association is respected, where workers’ representatives have a voice and where trade unions can negotiate collectively.

The collaboration within the Global Framework Agreement has led to several positive results. National monitoring committees – consisting of representatives from IndustriALL’s affiliated trade unions and H&M – have been set up and trained in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Turkey. The committees support employers’ and workers’ organisations to negotiate and to solve conflicts peacefully and in good faith at the factory level. Their work contributes to functioning labour markets in the countries where H&M source its products.

Several cases have been solved thanks to the collaboration within the Global Framework Agreement – for example a conflict at a textile factory in Myanmar earlier this year which started mainly due to misunderstandings and a lack of communication between management and employees. The conflict resulted in strikes and at a later stage also a dismissal of employees. However, after negations initiated and organized by IndustriALL and H&M, all employees were rehired and a union was started allowing the factory to take steps towards sound industrial relations and a reduced risk of future misunderstandings and conflicts.

“The support to factory level unions within the supply chain of H&M has been one key objective of the GFA between IndustriALL Global Union and H&M.  Moreover, during the first year of the implementation process, there have been several new factory level unions registered.  This is a key step in the development of well-functioning industrial relations. It should be noted that these newly formed trade unions and their management counterparts need to have additional capacity building in order to achieve well- functioning industrial relations. From our experience this year, these newly formed labour/management relations are fragile.”

GLOBAL MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Only press enquiries:

Phone: +46 8 796 53 00
Email: mediarelations@hm.com

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SONIC® Drive-In introduces the new Fiery Ultimate Chicken Sandwich and Fiery Cheeseburger

SONIC® Drive-In introduces the new Fiery Ultimate Chicken Sandwich and Fiery Cheeseburger
SONIC® Drive-In introduces the new Fiery Ultimate Chicken Sandwich and Fiery Cheeseburger

 

OKLAHOMA CITY, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — SONIC® Drive-In (NASDAQ: SONC) introduces the new Fiery Ultimate Chicken Sandwich and Fiery Cheeseburger to heatseekers everywhere, adding to its menu of bold flavors. Both feature the daring new Fiery Sauce, adding an irresistibly spicy dimension to SONIC’s famous menu lineup.

SONIC’s Fiery Ultimate Chicken Sandwich boasts a premium thick-cut, all-white chicken fillet with a crispy golden outside, while the Fiery Cheeseburger starts with a 100% pure beef patty with diced onions. Both sandwich options are perfectly complemented with pepper jack cheese, sliced jalapenos, and our all-new red jalapeno spread, brought together between a warm Brioche buns. The one-of-a-kind red jalapeno spread is the secret to SONIC’s spicy savvy. It packs enough satisfying heat to crush cravings, while enhancing rather than overwhelming the delicious savory elements of the sandwich.

“Our customers look to SONIC to offer bold and spicy flavors, and the new Fiery sandwiches will not disappoint,” said Scott Uehlein, vice president of product innovation & development for SONIC. “The flavorfully spicy Fiery Sauce combines a fine-tuned blend of red jalapenos, peppers and spices to deliver a complex heat that really satisfies from the first bite to the last.”

The Fiery Ultimate Chicken Sandwich and Fiery Cheeseburger are no ordinary meals. They are carefully crafted to truly be the ultimate in spicy sandwiches – superior to others you’ll find in flavor and quality from top-to-bottom. But they are only available for a limited time, so get your spicy fix before they’re gone!

About SONIC, America’s Drive-In

SONIC, America’s Drive-In is the nation’s largest drive-in restaurant chain, serving more than 3 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of SONIC’s 3,500 drive-in locations are owned and operated by local business men and women. Over more than 60 years, SONIC has delighted guests with signature menu items, more than 1.3 million drink combinations and friendly service by iconic Carhops. Since the 2009 launch of SONIC’s Limeades for Learning philanthropic campaign in partnership with DonorsChoose.org, SONIC has donated more than $6 million to public school teachers nationwide to fund essential learning materials and innovative teaching resources to inspire creativity and learning in today’s youth. This year, SONIC announced a $15 million commitment over the next five years to making a difference in public school classrooms across the country. To learn more about Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ/NM: SONC), please visit sonicdrivein.com and please visit or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about SONIC’s Limeades for Learning initiative, please visit Limeadesforlearning.com.

Contact:
Matthew Young
512-542-2802
Matthew.Young@cohnwolfe.com

Source: SONIC Drive-In

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CVS Pharmacy voluntarily withdraws homeopathic teething products from its retail stores and at CVS.com

WOONSOCKET, R.I., 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — CVS Pharmacy announced today (September 30, 2016) that it has voluntarily withdrawn all brands of homeopathic teething products sold in its retail stores and online at CVS.com. The voluntary withdrawal is being conducted in light of the FDA’s announcement today recommending that consumers stop using these products.

The products affected by this action are:

  • Baby Orajel Naturals Gel for Teething Pain, .33 oz
  • Baby Orajel Naturals Gel for Teething Pain Nighttime Formula, .33 oz
  • Baby Orajel Naturals Tablets for Teething Pain, 125 Count
  • CVS Homeopathic Infant’s Teething Tablet, 135 Count
  • CVS Homeopathic Infants’ Teething Liquid, .85 oz
  • Hyland’s Baby Nighttime Teething Tablets, 135 Count
  • Hyland’s Baby Teething Gel, .5 oz
  • Hyland’s Baby Teething Tablets, 13 Count
  • Hyland’s Baby Teething Tablets, 135 Count
  • Hyland’s Teething Gel, .33 oz

CVS Pharmacy is in the process of removing these products. A “do not sell” block has been placed in the Company’s store register system to prevent further sale of any affected items.

About CVS Pharmacy

CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), is America’s leading retail pharmacy with over 9,600 locations. It is the first national pharmacy to end the sale of tobacco and the first pharmacy in the nation to receive the Community Pharmacy accreditation from URAC, the leading health care accreditation organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. CVS Pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS Pharmacy and CVS Health is available at www.cvshealth.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mike DeAngelis
CVS Health
401-770-2645
michael.deangelis@cvshealth.com

SOURCE: CVS Pharmacy

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Opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone now available in CVS pharmacies in Alabama, Alaska, Illinois, Missouri and West Virginia

WOONSOCKET, R.I., 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) today (September 29, 2016) announced it has expanded access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone in Alabama, Alaska, Illinois, Missouri and West Virginia, allowing CVS Pharmacy patients to access the medication without an individual prescription. In total, CVS Pharmacy patients in 36 states now have increased access to the life-saving opioid overdose-reversal drug. CVS Health’s naloxone program establishes a standing order with a physician in the state or utilizes pharmacists’ prescriptive authority to permit CVS Pharmacists to dispense naloxone to patients without an individual prescription. Pharmacists in these five states began dispensing the medication this week.

“Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdose and by expanding availability of this medication, we can save lives and give more people a chance to get the help they need for recovery,” said Tom Davis, RPh, Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS Pharmacy. “By establishing a physician-authorized standing order that allows our pharmacies to dispense naloxone to patients without an individual prescription, we strengthen our commitment to helping the communities we serve begin to address the challenges of prescription drug abuse.”

“Expanding access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone is a critical part of our national strategy to stop the prescription drug and heroin overdose epidemic along with effective prevention, treatment, and enforcement,” said Michael Botticelli, Director of National Drug Control Policy. “Thanks to efforts on naloxone like those announced today by CVS Health, more Americans will have access to this lifesaving drug.”

The move to expand access to naloxone builds on CVS Health’s longstanding commitment to help communities address and prevent drug abuse through education, outreach and safe medication disposal. CVS Health’s commitment to drug abuse prevention education extends from online resources launched for patients visiting CVS.com to two robust youth prevention programs. Launched last year, CVS Health’s Pharmacists Teach program gives its pharmacists the opportunity to volunteer to speak to high school health classes about the dangers of drug abuse. More than 100,000 students have already been part of the program. Recently, the company also announced a partnership with DoSomething.org to create a peer-to-peer prevention and intervention program delivered to young people via text message and online.

CVS Health has also joined with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to create the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program, which has donated more than 600 drug disposal units to police departments around the country. The program gives members of the community a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted medication and has already collected more than 47 metric tons of prescription drugs.

“CVS Health has been a leader in the work of helping communities prevent prescription drug abuse,” said Marcia Lee Taylor, President and CEO, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. “In addition to proper disposal of unwanted medication, increasing access to naloxone is a critical public health priority that allows patients and their families to prevent opioid fatalities and recognize when people need help working towards recovery from the disease of addiction.”

With the addition of the five new states where CVS Pharmacy locations began dispensing naloxone to patients without a prescription this week, CVS Pharmacy locations in the following 36 states now offer naloxone: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas,California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky,Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota,Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont,Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. CVS Health also plans to further expand its naloxone program to other states in the coming months.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its more than 9,600 retail pharmacies, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 80 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, the Company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.

Media Contact:
Erin Shields Britt
Corporate Communications
401-770-9237
Erin.Britt@CVSHealth.com

SOURCE: CVS Health

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The UK government introduces new National Minimum Wage rates

LONDON, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (Saturday 1 October), the government is introducing increases to the National Minimum Wage rates of pay. It is the minimum pay per hour all workers are entitled to by law, depending on their age and whether they are an apprentice.

The new rates of pay are £6.95 for those aged 21-24, £5.55 for 18-20 year olds and £4.00 for under 18s. For apprentices, the rate is £3.40 in their first year of employment and before their 19th birthday. If apprentices are aged 19+, second year pay should be in-line with the National Minimum Wage rates for their age group (£5.55 if they are aged 19 or 20 or £6.95 if they are 21-24). No matter how large or small your business, it’s your obligation as an employer to ensure that all staff earning National Minimum Wage are paid correctly at the new rates. It can be a criminal offence for employers not to pay workers correctly or to falsify payment records.

Failure to pay the correct rate will result in having to pay your workers back the money they are owed immediately. In addition, you may be subject to a financial penalty of up to £20,000 per worker and your firm could be named in public. Don’t get caught out – check the rates for your firm’s workers at www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage

To assist you in being prepared for the October 1 change, a number of tools are available on the government’s National Minimum Wage website. Alongside this resource, employment organisation, Acas, has set up an online helpline (http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1902) and telephone helpline (0300 123 1100) to provide support in correcting any issues.

To check the National Minimum Wage rates, please visit www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

For media enquiries:

British Retail Consortium
21 Dartmouth Street, Westminster, London, SW1H 9BP.
020 7854 8900
info@brc.org.uk.

Source: BRC

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Asda Income Tracker: UK families had £201 in discretionary income to spend in August

LEEDS, England, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — UK families had £201 in discretionary income to spend in August according to the latest figures from the Asda Income Tracker, released today (30 September 2016).

The figures mark the 22nd consecutive month of double-digit growth in pound terms, with households benefiting from an extra £10 per week compared to the same period last year.

But whilst the positive figure suggests good news for spending power year on year, the data also shows that the rate of growth has slowed month on month in 2016, with disposable income staying largely flat for the past five months.

While essential item inflation has remained at near-zero levels and Consumer Price Inflation is holding steady at (0.6%), rising input costs and slowing wage growth mean that monthly spending power is not growing as quickly as seen previously.

Other factors impacting spending power are increased transport costs – up 0.9% over the month of August and an increase of 0.9% in food prices. Families searching for flights to warmer climates were disappointed with airfares rising for European routes. Meanwhile, manufacturer costs climbed at the fastest annual rate in almost five years, suggesting that further inflationary pressure could be around the corner.
The report also suggests that as prices are expected to continue to rise, headline inflation will move towards the Bank of England’s 2% target for 2017.

On the plus side, the report, compiled each month by CEBR, noted that a cut to interest rates helped to offset the rising costs and resulted in a further fall in monthly mortgage payments. And the uncertainty – triggered by the results of the EU referendum – doesn’t appear to have impacted shopper behaviour at the tills.

In the labour market, the picture also remained relatively positive, as the rate of unemployment across the UK held steady at 4.9% and wage growth remained well above the level of inflation. However, records show that regular earnings growth (excluding bonuses) dropped to the lowest level since the start of 2016 (2.1%), despite the introduction of the National Living Wage in April.

An Asda spokesperson said: “This month’s report is a mixed one for families. On the one hand it’s encouraging that we continue to see a rise in spending power, courtesy of low levels of essential item inflation, and cuts to interest rates. However, on the other hand, there are some trends beginning to emerge that consumers should be mindful of.

“With inflation predicted to creep up as we head towards 2017 and the potential for a continuation in the rising costs of some essentials, families will be watching their wallets with interest over the coming months.”

Sam Alderson, Economist, Cebr, said: “UK households have continued to help to drive economic activity in the months following the referendum, clearly supported by further robust increases in household spending power.

“However, whilst the initial turbulence has been navigated, improvements in household finances have slowed, a process that could accelerate if rising production costs begin to feed into prices at the tills.”

Source: ASDA

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US Foods to acquire Italian specialty distributor Jeraci Foods

Rosemont, Ill., 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — US Foods today (Sep 30, 2016) announced that it has agreed to acquire Jeraci Foods, an Italian specialty distributor based in Elmsford, New York.

Family owned since 1972, Jeraci Foods offers a complete line of authentic Italian and other imported and domestic food products to customers throughout the metro New York area. With more than $26 million in sales annually, Jeraci will enhance US Foods’ penetration in the Italian independent restaurant and pizzeria segment.

The Jeraci Foods location will remain open through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition, after which the business will shift to the US Foods location in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

“As a family owned business Jeraci Foods has built a strong reputation for great customer service and high quality food,” said Chuck Gannon, area president, US Foods. “At US Foods, we pride ourselves on those same characteristics and look forward to bringing an even more robust product offering to Jeraci customers.”

The transaction is expected to close on October 7. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

About US Foods

US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 chefs, restaurateurs and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With nearly 25,000 employees and more than 60 locations, US Foods provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill. and generates approximately $23 billion in annual revenue. Discover more at www.usfoods.com.

Contact:

Lisa Lecas
Corporate Communications, US Foods
Office: 847-720-8243
Lisa.Lecas@usfoods.com

Source: US Foods

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US Foods to host FY2016 3Q results conference call and webcast on November 8

Rosemont, Ill., 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD) will host a live conference call and webcast to discuss Fiscal 2016 third quarter results on Tuesday, November 8 at 9:00 am CST.

The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing (855) 788-2805; the conference ID number is 95119691.  Listeners are asked to please dial-in 10 minutes prior to the call start time and provide the conference ID number to be connected.

A replay will be available after the call beginning at noon on November 8, 2016 until November 18, 2016.  To listen to a replay of the conference call via telephone, please dial (855) 859-2056 and provide the conference ID number as listed above.

The conference call will also be webcast live from the company’s Investor Relations website at https://ir.usfoods.com. The presentation slides that will be reviewed during the webcast will be available on the Investor Relations website shortly before the webcast begins.  An archive of the webcast will be available at the same location beginning at noon on November 8, 2016.

About US Foods

US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 chefs, restaurateurs and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With nearly 25,000 employees and more than 60 locations, US Foods provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill. and generates approximately $23 billion in annual revenue. Discover more at www.usfoods.com.

Contact:

Lisa Lecas
Corporate Communications, US Foods
Office: 847-720-8243
Lisa.Lecas@usfoods.com

Media Contact:
Debra Ceffalio
847.720.1652
Debra.Ceffalio@usfoods.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Melissa Napier
847.720.2767
Melissa.Napier@usfoods.com

Source: US Foods

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Chipotle Mexican Grill spotlights their carefully selected ingredients on new advertising campaign

DENVER, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — A new advertising campaign by Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) spotlights their carefully selected ingredients and reinforces Chipotle’s commitment to sourcing, preparing and serving only the very best ingredients.

“We prepare all of our food using a very short list of ingredients,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief creative and development officer at Chipotle. “This allows us to obsess over each one in order to ensure that our food is absolutely delicious. This campaign takes a playful look at how all that attention has inflated the egos of our ingredients, resulting in a world in which we live to serve them — in every sense of the word.”

The campaign features a series of animated stop-motion short films along with online, outdoor, and radio advertising that tout the tagline, “’Tis their world. We just cook in it.” In addition to print, online, digital and social media distribution, the short films will be shown in movie theaters across the country, and Chipotle is considering airing them as television spots. The campaign was created in partnership with Austin-based GSD&M and award-winning animation studio HouseSpecial.

“‘’Tis their world, we just cook in it’ was born from the reality that at Chipotle, there’s nothing more superior or respected than the ingredients,” said Jay Russell, chief creative officer at GSD&M. “So much so, that ingredients get the royal treatment—literally. Ingredients Reign captures that worshipping and pampering, bringing Chipotle’s obsession for fresh ingredients to life.”

“The tone of this campaign is just the right combination of surreal whimsy and crafted beauty,” said Kirk Kelley, creative director and partner at HouseSpecial. “By creating the spots in stop motion, HouseSpecial’s artists were able to give the regal Ingredients their proper home, set them into a playful – but decidedly noble – backdrop and capture the inherent intrigue and paparazzi-fueled frenzy that Royalty always garners.”

For years Chipotle has been providing fresh, responsibly raised ingredients grown and raised with respect for farmers, animals and the environment. This includes serving Responsibly Raised meats, ingredients that are not genetically engineered, certain organic produce items and a majority of dairy from cows raised on pasture.

For more information and to view the campaign, please visit chipotle.com/ingredientsreign.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food from using ingredients that are not only fresh, but that — where possible — are sustainably grown and raised responsibly with respect for the animals, the land and the farmers who produce the food. In order to achieve this vision, we focus on building a special people culture that is centered on creating teams of top performers empowered to achieve high standards. This people culture not only leads to a better dining experience for our customers, it also allows us to develop future leaders from within. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in 1993 and operates more than 2,000 restaurants, including 24 Chipotle restaurants outside the US and 14 ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, and is an investor in an entity that owns and operates four Pizzeria Locale restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.

ABOUT GSD&M

Founded in 1971, GSD&M is a creatively driven, full-service agency headquartered in Austin, Texas, that believes when you pay the price to understand the problem and apply that insight to solve courageously, the reward is ideas that make a difference. With a restless culture and purpose as a guiding force, GSD&M builds brands with a fully integrated creative, media and analytics approach. For more information, visit GSDM.com.

ABOUT HOUSESPECIAL

“Animation isn’t just a storytelling medium – it’s our life force and our passion.”

HouseSpecial, formerly LAIKA/house, can make anything move. We are animation experts. Our Portland creative team is globally known for our ability to develop characters in narrative environments for iconic brands like M&M’S, Supercell’s Boom Beach, Planters, Apple,ESPN, Target and Honey Nut Cheerios. We have collaborated with advertising agencies GSD&M, Barton F. Graf, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Wieden+Kennedy, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, Leo Burnett and BBDO among others on hundreds of spots – many of which earned big awards and are part of advertising lore.

The studio, under the leadership of President EP Lourri Hammack, Chief Creative Officer and Creative Director Kirk Kelley and Chief Operating Officer Alvaro Cubillas, specializes in short- to mid-form animated content in 2D, CG and stop-motion mediums. Website: housespecial.com.

Contact:
Chris Arnold
303-222-5912
carnold@chipotle.com

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Chipotle Mexican Grill spotlights their carefully selected ingredients on new advertising campaign
Chipotle Mexican Grill spotlights their carefully selected ingredients on new advertising campaign

 

Source: Chipotle Mexican Grill

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Tractor Supply Company acquires leading specialty retailer of pet supplies and services Petsense, LLC

BRENTWOOD, TN, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO), the largest rural lifestyle retail store chain in the United States, today (09/29/16 ) announced that it has acquired 100% of Petsense, LLC, a leading specialty retailer of pet supplies and services with 136 stores in 25 states. The transaction price was approximately $116 million, net of acquired estimated future tax benefits of $29 million. The acquisition was a cash transaction financed with cash-on-hand and revolver debt. The transaction, including transaction and integration costs, is not expected to be material to Tractor Supply’s net earnings per diluted share for fiscal 2016.

Petsense will operate as a subsidiary of Tractor Supply Company from Petsense’s current headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona and will continue to be led by members of Petsense’s senior management team. Tractor Supply plans to continue to grow the Petsense store base at a target rate of 15% to 20% annually and will convert its two existing HomeTown Pet stores to Petsense stores.

Greg Sandfort, Tractor Supply Company’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are excited about the addition of Petsense to the Tractor Supply family as we develop our pet specialty retail business. The pet industry represents a $60 billion market driven by favorable pet ownership trends and the continued humanization of pets by their owners. We believe the pet specialty industry is an attractive expansion opportunity and, with 136 stores across 25 states, we think Petsense is an excellent complement to our Tractor Supply retail operations.”

Mr. Sandfort continued, “With Tractor Supply’s success in the pet category and the knowledge gained from our HomeTown Pet stores, we determined that the acquisition of an established, successful concept with a proven track record of growth would be the best way to capitalize on the opportunities in the pet market. We believe the Petsense team’s expertise in growing smaller format pet specialty stores combined with our proven expertise in the category as well as site selection and store growth, will enable us to accelerate the growth of our pet specialty retail business and enhance long-term shareholder value.”

Bob Angstead, President and Chief Executive Officer of Petsense stated, “As we looked at the future for Petsense, we recognized Tractor Supply Company as a natural fit to continue our growth. The Tractor Supply team has a strong culture, and we share many of the same values, as well as an appreciation of the opportunities presented by smaller towns and communities. Additionally, the Tractor Supply team has the experience and resources to help expand Petsense to the many untapped markets across the country.”

Peter J. Solomon Company acted as exclusive financial advisor and Bass, Berry & Sims PLC acted as legal advisor to Tractor Supply Company. William Blair & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor and Jenner & Block acted as legal advisor to Petsense.

Conference Call to Discuss Acquisition
Tractor Supply Company will host a conference call on September 29, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the transaction, which will be broadcast simultaneously over the Internet on the Company’s website at IR.TractorSupply.com.

Please allow extra time prior to the call to visit the site and download the streaming media software required to listen to the Internet broadcast.

A replay of the webcast will also be available at IR.TractorSupply.com shortly after the conference call concludes.

About Tractor Supply Company
At September 24, 2016, Tractor Supply Company operated 1,575 stores in 49 states. The Company’s stores are focused on supplying the lifestyle needs of recreational farmers and ranchers and others who enjoy the rural lifestyle, as well as tradesmen and small businesses. Stores are located primarily in towns outlying major metropolitan markets and in rural communities. The Company offers the following comprehensive selection of merchandise: (1) equine, livestock, pet and small animal products, including items necessary for their health, care, growth and containment; (2) hardware, truck, towing and tool products; (3) seasonal products, including heating, lawn and garden items, power equipment, gifts and toys; (4) work/recreational clothing and footwear; and (5) maintenance products for agricultural and rural use. For more information, visit www.tractorsupply.com.

About Petsense
Founded in 2005 in Scottsdale, Arizona, Petsense is a small-box pet specialty supply retailer with 136 stores in primarily small and mid-size communities across 25 states. Petsense stores are focused on meeting the needs of pet owners and offer a variety of pet products and services. For more information, visit www.petsense.us.

Forward Looking Statements
As with any business, all phases of the Company’s operations are subject to influences outside its control. This release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the attractiveness and potential profitability of the pet specialty industry, plans to grow the Petsense business, and expected store openings and conversions. These forward-looking statements are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and may be affected by certain risks and uncertainties, any one, or a combination, of which could materially affect the results of the Company’s operations. These factors include, without limitation, the failure of an acquisition to produce anticipated results, the ability to open new stores in the manner and number currently contemplated, the ability to successfully integrate the acquired business and the potential effects caused by the diversion of management’s time and attention from other business issues and opportunities, general economic conditions affecting consumer spending, the timing and acceptance of new products in the stores, the timing and mix of goods sold, purchase price volatility (including inflationary and deflationary pressures), the ability to increase sales at existing stores, the ability to manage growth and identify suitable locations, the ability to successfully manage expenses and execute our key gross margin enhancing initiatives, the availability of favorable credit sources, capital market conditions in general, the impact of new stores on our business, competition, weather conditions, the seasonal nature of our business, effective merchandising initiatives and marketing emphasis, the ability to retain vendors, reliance on foreign suppliers, the ability to attract, train and retain qualified employees, product liability and other claims, changes in federal, state or local regulations, potential judgments, fines, legal fees and other costs, breach of information systems or theft of customer data, ongoing and potential future legal or regulatory proceedings, management of our information systems, failure to secure or develop and implement new technologies, the failure of customer-facing technology systems, business disruption including from the implementation of supply chain technologies, effective tax rate changes and results of examination by taxing authorities, the ability to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, changes in accounting standards, assumptions and estimates. Forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company are based on knowledge of its business and the environment in which it operates, but because of the factors listed above, actual results could differ materially from those reflected by any forward-looking statements. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made are qualified by these cautionary statements and those contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There can be no assurance that the results or developments anticipated by the Company, including the ability to realize anticipated tax benefits in connection with the acquisition will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to or effects on the Company or its business and operations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact:

Anthony F. Crudele
Chief Financial Officer
Christine Skold
Vice President, Investor Relations
(615) 440-4000
www.TractorSupply.com

Investors:
John Rouleau/Rachel Schacter
ICR

Media:
Alecia Pulman/Brittany Rae Fraser
ICR
(203) 682-8200

Source: Tractor Supply Company

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Co-op and Van Houtte Coffee Services launch Drink Pink coffee program during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Saskatoon, SK, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — With International Coffee Day fast approaching, Co-op is letting customers know that every little sip of coffee helps make a big difference when you Drink Pink.

It’s been six years — and a couple million cups of coffee — since Co-op and Van Houtte Coffee Services Inc. first partnered to support breast cancer research through the Drink Pink coffee program during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which occurs every October.

Since the inception of the program, the Drink Pink partners have raised $549,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) through the sale of coffee at participating Co-op Gas Bars and Food Store delis — and the tally is still growing.

“Co-op and Van Houtte’s Drink Pink is a tremendous example of what can be accomplished when we come together with a common aim,” said Vic Huard, Executive Vice-President Strategy at Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL). “Together with Co-op members and customers, we are helping the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation support world-class researchers who are working to create a future free of this disease.”

Promoting awareness

Throughout October, 10 cents from every cup of coffee sold at participating Co-op locations will be donated to CBCF, which funds innovative research, health education and advocacy programs that aim to reduce the incidence of breast cancer, lower mortality rates and support women and their families who have experienced breast cancer.

“Again this year, Van Houtte Coffee Services is pleased to join forces with Co-op in helping to create a future without breast cancer,” said Jose Chagnon, General Manager at Van Houtte Coffee Services.

“During the month of October, we encourage Canadians to visit participating Co-op locations to drink their Van Houtte coffee the way they love it best, whether it’s black, with milk, with sugar or not, but most importantly, to Drink Pink and support the cause.”

The Co-operative Retailing System — comprised of FCL and more than 200 independent retail co-ops across Western Canada — is also promoting breast cancer awareness through a series of videos in which survivors and family members share their experiences with the disease. For more information about Drink Pink — and to watch the videos — see www.drinkpink.coop.

Lasting impact

Co-op is a longtime supporter of the CBCF. In 2014, it made a $1.5 million donation to the organization and continues to serve as a regional sponsor of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure.

“We’re so pleased with how this program has evolved over the past six years,“ said Bernice Scholten, Executive Director, Western Canada, at the CBCF. “This success demonstrates the power and impact of strong, innovative local partnerships. Thank you to Co-op and Van Houtte, who continue to play an important role in the progression of breast cancer awareness, research and advocacy.”

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Co-op and Van Houtte Coffee Services launch Drink Pink coffee program during Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Co-op and Van Houtte Coffee Services launch Drink Pink coffee program during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

 

Source: Coop

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Co-op and Farm & FFC SK to provide shoppers with opportunity to talk with Saskatchewan pulse farmers on Oct. 22

Saskatoon, SK, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — This fall, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan (FFC SK) and Co-op are providing shoppers with an opportunity to talk with Saskatchewan farmers.

On Saturday, Oct. 22, 10 Co-op Food Stores across the province will feature local pulse farmers, new Co-op lentil products and information and resources for shoppers to learn more about how food is grown and ways to cook with it.

“This is a great chance for us to help make a direct connection between the people who consume our food and the people who grow it,” said Adele Buettner, Project Manager for FFC SK. “Less than two per cent of the population of Canada now have direct links to the farm. There aren’t as many opportunities for consumers to meet and talk with farmers or to get an understanding of how food is produced, even in Saskatchewan.”

The United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, which is a good fit for Saskatchewan, as the province’s growers are significant producers of chickpeas, lentils, peas and beans. The province produces 72 per cent of the world’s lentil exports and Canadian lentils are consumed in over 150 countries worldwide, including places like India, China, Turkey, Bangladesh, the UAE, Egypt and more.

“Co-op is proud to serve farmers and ranchers throughout Western Canada, where the agriculture sector is helping to build healthy, sustainable communities,” said Ron Healey, Associate Vice-President Ag and Home with Federated Co-operatives Limited.

“Through partnerships with organizations like Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan, as well as our Grown, Raised and Produced at Home initiative that showcases local products in Co-op Food Stores, we are helping to share that story. By encouraging dialogue, we can promote agricultural awareness and help our farmers and ranchers grow today and into the future.”

This initiative is part of a series of activities FFC SK is leading to celebrate Agriculture Month this October, including:

  • Real Dirt on Farming Training for university students and industry professionals
  • Farm tour for health professionals
  • Social Media campaign
  • OurFoodHasAStory.ca and Twitter contest: #OurFoodHasAStory
  • Messaging at Regina mall food court
  • Co-promotions with partner groups (Co-operators Insurance, Western Development Museums, Saskatchewan 4-H Clubs, Girl Guides of Canada, Great Western Brewing, Saskatchewan newcomer groups)

Participating Co-op Food Store Locations:

Saskatoon

  • Marketplace on Attridge (402 Ludlow Street)
  • The Centre Co-op (3310 8th Street E)
  • Stonebridge Co-op (511 Wellman Crescent)
  • Westview Co-op (1628 33rd Street)

Moose Jaw

  • Marketplace Food Store (500 1st Avenue NW)

Regina

  • Sherwood Co-op (5875 Rochdale Blvd)
  • Sherwood Co-op (2925 Quance St)
  • Sherwood Co-op (3801 Albert St)

Swift Current

  • Pioneer Co-op (1150 Central Ave N)

North Battleford

    • Discovery Co-op (9800 Territorial Drive)

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Co-op and Farm & FFC SK to provide shoppers with opportunity to talk with Saskatchewan pulse farmers on Oct. 22
Co-op and Farm & FFC SK to provide shoppers with opportunity to talk with Saskatchewan pulse farmers on Oct. 22

 

Source: Coop

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Uterqüe unveiled its new store image inspired by the Mid-Century Modern movement of the 1950s

Uterqüe unveiled its new store image inspired by the Mid-Century Modern movement of the 1950s
Uterqüe unveiled its new store image inspired by the Mid-Century Modern movement of the 1950s

 

Arteixo, Spain, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Art and fashion join forces to inspire Uterqüe’s new store concept. The Inditex Group chain specialised in premium fashion accessories and textile and leather garments has unveiled its new store image, inspired by the Mid-Century Modern movement of the 1950s. Uterqüe’s logo is evolving in parallel: from now on it will feature a font characterized by more organic, refined and minimalist lines.

The new Uterqüe image will, moreover, serve as a symbiotic loudspeaker and ally for contemporary artistic creation. And so, just as the visual arts will imbue the brand’s collections with more contemporary values, the firm will support exhibitions, collaborate with sector experts and showcase new artists’ talent. This strategy will be palpable from Uterqüe’s shop windows to its store interiors and, naturally, its collections, which will live and breathe art.

Uterqüe’s new look is making its début at the firm’s newest store in Braga (Portugal). This new establishment, with a sales floor area of 180 square metres, reinforces Uterqüe’s presence in Portugal, where the chain now operates five stores.

New image and logo

Uterqüe’s new store concept is heavily influenced by the artistic and architectural movement known as Mid-Century Modern which emerged in the 1950s. Spacious houses that accommodated restrained, modern and purist furnishings, yet beckoned you to come inside, and even to stay and live in them, provide the muse for the fashion brand’s new spaces. The elegance of this leitmotiv is tangible in every detail within the stores.

Mid-Century design fused sobriety with an organic spirit; those were the tenets of the movement, as would be tangible in all of its reinterpretations. In keeping with Uterqüe’s new image, the interior décor similarly adopts the core ideas of this movement, adapting them to preserve its spirit in a contemporary environment.

Space and light invite exploration of the collections in an atmosphere shaped by warm designs and an aura of femininity. The fittings are an integral part of this new concept which recalls the best of the 50s. The furniture adopts the Scandinavian style of the era but, having been custom-created for Uterqüe, exudes a contemporary and versatile feel. The floor coverings are inspired by Persian rugs and the stores will be dotted with decorative pieces and works of art, busts with more daring looks and cult objects in pottery, iron and bronze.

The aesthetic reaches its zenith in the store materials: a combination of straight shelves made from stone, metal and wood to make the interiors feel tranquil, organic and restrained and render Uterqüe’s fashions the outright protagonists of the space. The dressing rooms feature bamboo floorboards covered with beige-coloured carpeting and natural leather doors.

The state-of-the-art lighting adds class and warmth and reduces the stores’ power consumption. Moreover, an eco-efficient and next-generation system will recreate the sun’s light in an enclosed space, bathing it in warm, Mediterranean light.

The Mid-Century movement’s hallmark minimalism has also left its stamp on the new Uterqüe logo, which now features a font characterised by more refined and organic lines, in keeping with the firm’s new look and feel.

About Uterqüe

Uterqüe, the Inditex Group’s youngest brand, was created in 2008. Its customer proposition is a combination of fashion accessories and a meticulous selection of premium-quality textile and leather clothing inspired by the latest trends coupled and product exclusivity.

Uterqüe currently has 71 stores worldwide. In 2011, it launched its online platform (www.uterque.com), which presently reaches 30 countries, having been rolled out in 14 new markets so far this year: Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania.

For any press request please contact with:

Communication and Corporate Affairs Division
Edificio Inditex
Avda. de la Diputación s/n
15143 – Arteixo
A Coruña – ESPAÑA

Tlf: +34 981 185 400
Fax: +34 981 185 544
comunicacion@inditex.com

Source: Inditex

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CarMax announces new store opening in Maple Shade, N.J.

RICHMOND, Virginia, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — CarMax, Inc. (NYSE: KMX), the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, is celebrating the grand opening of its new store in Maple Shade, located at 531 Route 38 West. The addition of the Maple Shade store marks the fourth CarMax location in the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. The store will stock more than 300 used vehicles of nearly every make and model and has brought approximately 40 new jobs to the area.

In celebration of the Maple Shade store opening, CarMax donated $5,000 to Hopeworks ‘N Camden. Maple Shade CarMax associates selected this nonprofit for its mission to work with youth in the community and help students develop a plan for education and a brighter future.

The CarMax Foundation is also providing a $10,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Club of Camden County. Funding from the grant will help support tutoring and wellness programs for more than 900 youth in the area. Support for this organization also came at the recommendation of Maple Shade associates.

“CarMax greatly supports the communities where our associates live and work,” said Yammir Carbonell, location general manager of the Maple Shade store. “We are very excited to be growing in the Philadelphia area and bringing the simple and stress-free CarMax experience to customers in Maple Shade.”

CarMax was founded more than 20 years ago to fundamentally change the way car buying is done. CarMax customers can shop for nearly every make and model at our stores or online at carmax.com, with prices clearly listed for each of our nearly 50,000 vehicles nationwide. In addition, CarMax stands begin vehicles with a 5-Day Money-Back Guarantee and a 30-Day Limited Warranty (60-Day in CT, MN & RI, 90-Day in MA, NY and NJ). The CarMax Foundation has granted more than $30 million on behalf of associates across the country since 2003.

CarMax is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars and operates more than 160 stores in 38 states nationwide. CarMax revolutionized the auto industry by delivering the honest, transparent and high-integrity car buying experience customers want and deserve. For more than 20 years, CarMax has made car buying more ethical, fair and stress-free by offering a no-haggle, no-hassle experience and an incredible selection of vehicles. CarMax makes selling your car easy too, by offering no-obligation appraisals good for seven days. At CarMax, we’ll buy your car even if you don’t buy ours®. CarMax has more than 22,000 associates nationwide and for 12 consecutive years has been named as one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®. During the 12 months ending February 29, 2016, the company retailed 619,936 used cars and sold 394,437 wholesale vehicles at its in-store auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at www.carmax.com.

Media Contacts:
CarMax Public Relations
pr@carmax.com
Twitter: @CarMax
Facebook: facebook.com/CarMax

Source: CarMax

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X5 Retail Group announces cooperation agreement between Pyaterochka and VimpelCom

Moscow, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — X5 Retail Group N.V. (“X5” or “the Company”), a leading Russian food retailer (LSE ticker: “FIVE”), announces the signing of a cooperation agreement between Pyaterochka and VimpelCom.

The first stage entails the opening of 950 Beeline branded outlets and points of sale in Pyaterochka stores this year. The project will span 20 Russian regions, with over 500 points of sale to be opened in the Moscow and St. Petersburg metropolitan areas. By the end of 2017, the total number of Beeline outlets and points of sale in Pyaterochka stores is due to exceed 1,600.

Beeline outlets will be located near the checkout area, outside of the Pyaterochka shopping area, and will include both full-scale telecom stores or small-format service desks and counters. The offering will depend on format: Beeline counters will sell the key tariff plans and process requests for equipment delivery and mobile number transfer, while stores will also have equipment available for sale.

The partnership will boost traffic and conversion thanks to the additional services offered to customers. On top of that, the Pyaterochka agreement will provide Beeline with new opportunities to scale up its business as the national food retailer continues its rapid expansion with new stores.

Projects like this are part of Pyaterochka’s strategy for developing partnerships in high-value segments of additional services, which, in addition to mobile phone stores, also include pharmacies, children’s stores, repair and service kiosks, and bakers.

Note to Editors:

X5 Retail Group N.V. (LSE: FIVE, Fitch – ‘BB’, Moody’s – ‘Ba3’, S&P – ‘BB-’) is a leading Russian food retailer. The Company operates several retail formats: the chain of proximity stores under the Pyaterochka brand, the supermarket chain under the Perekrestok brand, the hypermarket chain under the Karusel brand and Express convenience stores under various brands.

As of 30 June 2016, X5 had 7,936 Company-operated stores. It has the leading market position in both Moscow and St. Petersburg and a significant presence in the European part of Russia. Its store base includes 7,164 Pyaterochka proximity stores, 493 Perekrestok supermarkets, 89 Karusel hypermarkets and 190 convenience stores. The Company operates 35 DCs and 1,469 Company-owned trucks across the Russian Federation.

For the full year 2015, revenue totalled RUB 808,818 mln (USD 13,268 mln), Adjusted EBITDA reached RUB 59,413 mln (USD 975 mln), and net profit for the period amounted to RUB 14,174 mln (USD 233 mln). In H1 2016, revenue totalled RUB 483,244 mln (USD 6,878 mln), EBITDA reached RUB 36,498 mln (USD 519 mln), and net profit amounted to RUB 13,004 mln (USD 185 mln).

X5’s Shareholder structure is as follows: Alfa Group – 47.86%, founders of Pyaterochka – 14.43%, X5 Directors – 0.06%, treasury shares – 0.01%, free float – 37.64%.

VimpelCom (Beeline brand) is part of VimpelCom Ltd., an international communications and technology company, headquartered in Amsterdam, and driven by a vision to unlock new opportunities for customers as they navigate the digital world. Present in some of the world’s most dynamic markets, VimpelCom provides more than 200 mln customers with voice, fixed broadband, data and digital services. VimpelCom’s heritage as a pioneer in technology is the driving force behind a major transformation focused on bringing the digital world to each and every customer. VimpelCom offers services to customers in 14 markets including Russia, Italy, Algeria, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia, Laos, and Zimbabwe. VimpelCom operates under the Beeline, Kyivstar, WIND, Mobilink, Banglalink, Telecel, and Djezzy brands.

Contact:
Maxim Novikov
Head of Investor Relations
X5 Retail Group
Tel.: +7 (495) 502-9783
e-mail: Maxim.Novikov@x5.ru

Anna Aybasheva
Corporate Communication Direction VimpelCom
Tel.: +7 (495) 139-2726
e-mail: media@beeline.ru

Source: X5 Retail Group N.V.

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X5 Retail Group announces the offering of its RUB 15 billion bonds

Moscow, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — X5 Retail Group N.V. (“X5” or “the Company”), a leading Russian food retailer (LSE ticker: “FIVE”), announces the offering of its RUB 15 billion 001P-01 series ruble-denominated bonds, issued by LLC X5 Finance.

The coupon rate on the bonds, which have a put option after 3 years, is set at 9.45% p.a. The Company plans to use the proceeds from the issue to finance its current operations, including for debt refinancing in order to improve its loan portfolio structure.

The offering was arranged by Raiffeisenbank, Alfa-bank, Promsvyazbank, Sovcombank. The placement agent was Raiffeisenbank.

Note to Editors:

X5 Retail Group N.V. (LSE: FIVE, Fitch – ‘BB’, Moody’s – ‘Ba3’, S&P – ‘BB-’) is a leading Russian food retailer. The Company operates several retail formats: the chain of proximity stores under the Pyaterochka brand, the supermarket chain under the Perekrestok brand, the hypermarket chain under the Karusel brand and Express convenience stores under various brands.

As of 30 June 2016, X5 had 7,936 Company-operated stores. It has the leading market position in both Moscow and St. Petersburg and a significant presence in the European part of Russia. Its store base includes 7,164 Pyaterochka proximity stores, 493 Perekrestok supermarkets, 89 Karusel hypermarkets and 190 convenience stores. The Company operates 35 DCs and 1,469 Company-owned trucks across the Russian Federation.

For the full year 2015, revenue totaled RUB 808,818 mln (USD 13,268 mln), Adjusted EBITDA reached RUB 59,413 mln (USD 975 mln), and net profit for the period amounted to RUB 14,174 mln (USD 233 mln). In H1 2016, revenue totaled RUB 483,244 mln (USD 6,878 mln), EBITDA reached RUB 36,498 mln (USD 519 mln), and net profit amounted to RUB 13,004 mln (USD 185 mln).

X5’s Shareholder structure is as follows: Alfa Group – 47.86%, founders of Pyaterochka – 14.43%, X5 Directors – 0.06%, treasury shares – 0.01%, free float – 37.64%.

Forward looking statements:
This announcement includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements”. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not only relate to historical or current events. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “anticipate”, “target”, “expect”, “estimate”, “intend”, “expected”, “plan”, “goal”, “believe”, or other words of similar meaning.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances, a number of which are beyond X5 Retail Group N.V.’s control. As a result, actual future results may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations set out in these forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of X5 Retail Group N.V. speak only as at the date of this announcement. Save as required by any applicable laws or regulations, X5 Retail Group N.V. undertakes no obligation publicly to release the results of any revisions to any forward-looking statements in this document that may occur due to any change in its expectations or to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document.

Contact:
Maxim Novikov
Head of Investor Relations
Tel.: +7 (495) 502-9783
e-mail: Maxim.Novikov@x5.ru

Andrey Vasin
Investor Relations Officer
Tel.:+7 (495) 662-8888 ext. 21-456
e-mail: Andrey.Vasin@x5.ru

Source: X5 Retail Group N.V.

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Hot Deals Inc now with FREE delivery on all gift items

Alpharetta, GA, 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Often it is seen that during various festive seasons or on some particular days special deals are announced. People plan their shopping based on these days but what about a site that has hot deals for you every now and then! Yes it may sound unbelievable but it is true! Hot Deals Inc is one such company that has super deals for every mood. You could buy gadgets, toys, gifts for your male friends and partner, mobile accessories, kitchen accessories, gifts for your female friend and female partner, camera and many such possible items one could think of!

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DreamShip hot air balloon took off on a year-long journey to raise awareness of Folds of Honor

Camp Hill, Pa., 2016-Oct-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — With Lady Liberty and One World Trade Center as a symbolic backdrop of the freedoms America’s military proudly defend, today (Sept. 29, 2016), DreamShip, a fully operational hot air balloon will take its inaugural flight before embarking on a year-long journey to raise awareness of Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization based in Owasso, Oklahoma, dedicated to providing educational scholarships to children of fallen or disabled service members. With a design as unique as its mission, the DreamShip, will showcase artwork created by Folds of Honor scholarship recipients symbolizing their hopes and dreams for the future.

The DreamShip will be officially unveiled during a ceremony today at 10 a.m. at Liberty Landing Marina inside Liberty State Park, located in Jersey City, New Jersey. New Jersey Lieutenant Governor and proud military mother Kim Guadagno will join Rite Aid CEO of stores, President of Rite Aid Corporation and President of The Rite Aid Foundation Ken Martindale and Folds of Honor Founder Major Dan Rooney at the celebration, as well as several Folds of Honor scholarship recipients, whose dreams are featured on the DreamShip, and area Rite Aid associates.

“Today is a very special day for Folds of Honor, but it’s only the beginning,” said Martindale. “From here on out, with every launch, the DreamShip will lift up the dreams of children helped by Folds of Honor, both physically and metaphorically, and The Rite Aid Foundation could not envision a better way to show our support of Folds of Honor, our veterans and their children.”

Standing eight stories tall, the DreamShip is comprised of more than 400 fabric panels, 130 of which uniquely feature drawings of the dreams of children helped by Folds of Honor. With an internal volume of 105,000 cubic feet, it would take approximately 405,000 standard d basketballs to completely fill the fully inflated balloon. Fully operational, the DreamShip will be operated by a licensed balloon pilot and is able to fly just like any other hot air balloon.

“I am honored to be here today with families of service members who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said Lt. Governor Guadagno. “Through Folds of Honor, Major Rooney has made a commitment to support the children and families of the fallen and disabled heroes long past their darkest hours. Without the involvement of The Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents program, the DreamShip would not be able to serve as an important visual reminder, one which people often forget, that sacrifices are also made by the families when their loved ones go to war.”

The launch event will also include special exhibits including a virtual reality hot air balloon ride and a virtual reality art station, where kids can use Tilt Brush technology to draw their dreams. Event goers will also be able to watch videos showcasing children helped by Folds of Honor, purchase Folds of Honor merchandise and learn how they can support the organization.

“We cannot think of a better way to showcase the stories and dreams of our scholarship recipients than to lift them up with the DreamShip for the world to see,” said Rooney. “Folds of Honor is so fortunate to partner with The Rite Aid Foundation in our mission to educate the legacy of our fallen and disabled service members. We look forward to following the DreamShip on its journey across the country and sharing the stories of our deserving scholarship recipients.”

Follow the DreamShip
With support from official DreamShip sponsors including The Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents program, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., maker of Tylenol®, Nestlé Waters, maker of Nestlé Pure Life, and Unilever, maker of SUAVE®, the DreamShip will travel the country, serving as a constant symbol of the commitment made by Folds of Honor, its partners and donors, to honor the nation’s fallen and disabled service members and their families.

Immediately after today’s launch, the DreamShip will begin its year-long tour of the United States. To learn more about the DreamShip, including upcoming appearances and the children being helped by DreamShip, visit www.theDreamShip.org.

Support Folds of Honor
In addition to supporting Folds of Honor as the DreamShip travels the country, people can also support Folds of Honor by texting #dreamship to 364-13 (FOH-13) or visiting www.theDreamShip.org. Additionally, people can join Rite Aid’s free loyalty program, www.kidcents.com.

Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation’s leading drugstore chains with nearly 4,600 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia and fiscal 2016 annual revenues of $30.7 billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through the company’s website at www.riteaid.com.

Folds of Honor is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to families of military men and women who have fallen or been disabled while on active duty in the United States armed forces. Our educational scholarships support private education tuition and tutoring for children in grades K-12, as well as higher education tuition assistance for spouses and dependents. Founded in 2007 by Major Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard who served three tours of duty in Iraq, Folds of Honor is proud to have awarded more than 10,000 scholarships in all 50 states, as well as Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, including more than 2,500 in 2015 alone. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship, visit www.foldsofhonor.org.

Media Contact:

Ashley Flower
717-975-5718

Source: RiteAid